Chains That Bind Us
by Living on a Rainbow
Summary: We're on the run, yet you want to stay. You throw away your safety for those two boys, and when you're found out,these chains that have bound us together force us to become heroes,no matter how much we have to lose. No matter who we have to lose.
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Naruto. Thank you._**

Uchiha Madara stared at Pain coolly, mask gone.

"Madara-sama," Pain acknowledged.

"Pain." He nodded, "Konan."

"As you know," Madara began, "There is only one female in the Akatsuki."

"Yes…"

"Well, I think it's kinda sexist, don't you?" Madara said thoughtfully. "So I was thinking, you know, maybe we could have some additions…preferably female, so Konan doesn't get lonely."

"There are no rings, Madara-sama," Pain replied. "Orochimaru took his when he left."

"Even with Orochimaru's ring," The man shrugged, "It wouldn't be enough. I wanted six new members."

"Why six?" Konan asked.

"Have you heard of the rogue ninjas who go by the name of the Daughters of Kami?" Madara asked. "The ones who successfully assassinated a Mizukage?"

She nodded, eyeing him warily.

"They're made up of six people, if my math serves me right."

"I understand that they are powerful ninjas, Madara-sama," Pain said, "But of what interest are they to you?"

"Quite, actually." Madara smirked. "It's so boring with only Konan in the organization."

"Even if we wanted to invite them to join us," Konan chimed in, "We would have to research to find them -- if they're still alive, even…"

"That's where you're wrong," His smirk grew wider as he placed a small stack of papers on Pain's desk. "I've taken the liberty of doing all that grueling work myself, thank you very much. It includes who I want them to be partnered with. I think three man teams work out well, too."

"Why do these girls interest you so much?" Pain asked, noticing that all of the girls were younger than their youngest member, Deidara.

"Like I said, it's boring only having one female in the whole organization. These girls are quite the characters. Plus, they're strong."

"I'll send Itachi and Kisame for them. Konan, you will go as well."

"That's good," Madara approved. "I expect to see them by the end of next month. They don't stay in one place too long, and I'd hate to have to start all over again."

**_Author: Hopefully, you've read up to this point. This is basically an OC story (another one? -gasp-!), one of the many here on FF. Basically, since I am the so-called "writer" of the group, my friends (the oc's) have entrusted me the duty of writing a story with us as inserts. Wonderful, right? (Thank them for the ideas that'll come later on.) The pairings will become evident after four or five chapters (most of them, at least), so I hope you can read up till that point. _**


	2. Chapter 1

1

**Kyoko**

I hate mornings. Today was no different.

I slammed the snooze button on my alarm clock and rolled over. Why did I even have an alarm clock, anyway? I should slap whoever invented it…

"Kyoko," Someone whispered, stirring me. "Wake up."

"Ugh," I groaned. "Go away."

"Kyoko!" Yuki exclaimed. "You're late!"

I sighed, wanting to snuggle into my pillow and sleep under the covers, but instead I tiredly sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"Breakfast is downstairs," Yuki said. "Hurry before it gets cold."

"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes, stretching. I tied my black hair in a sloppy ponytail and dressed, donning the usual Jounin uniform.

"It's your turn to wake Aridoku up, Amaya," I said as I jogged downstairs, eager to eat.

"What? No way! I did it last time!"

"No, Curomi did," Kida said. "It's your turn."

"_Fuck_!"

"Don't be such a potty mouth!" Curomi yelled from her seat at the kitchen table. "Gosh!"

I opened the fridge, taking out a carton of the Cranberry juice and pouring it into a glass, then sitting down across from Curomi and digging into toaster-made cinnamon flavored waffles, some sticky rice, and miso.

"Aridoku, wake up!"

"MY EYES ARE CLOSED, AMAYA! THAT MEANS I'M STILL SLEEPING! Go away!"

"Freaking wake up, Aridoku!" Amaya yelled. "I'm hungry and my breakfast is getting cold and --"

"Breakfast? YUM!"

"Well, Aridoku's up now," Kida murmured, snickering.

"Yuki, want to train our teams together?" I asked. "They've been wanting to train with your students for a while."

"I guess," Yuki shrugged. "Just make sure that Izumo stays away from Ichigo. He hates it when she gets close to him."

"I can't guarantee anything." I snorted. "You know how she is."

"Good point." She admitted. "Kida, wanna tag along for lunch?"

"I'm eating with Kiba and Hinata." She shook her head. "Maybe next time."

_Maybe never…_Yuki thought sourly.

"I'm done!" Aridoku yelled, clambering downstairs in her ANBU uniform. "Where's my food?!"

"Table, where it always is," Amaya rolled her eyes.

"What about you, Amaya?" I asked. "Want to join us for lunch?"

"I've got to fill out a report to the Hokage," She said. "If you're around I won't be able to do anything."

"I'd go, but I'm eating with Naruto." Curomi shrugged.

"I'll go!" Aridoku offered. "Amaya can take care of the report by herself."

"Thanks a lot," She muttered.

"You're welcome!"

"I'll see you later," Kida said. "It's Curomi's turn to cook dinner!"

"I'll bring takeout," Kyoko offered. "I'm not risking another burnt down house -- again."

"You're so rude," Curomi glared, taking a bite of her waffle.

"Your glare would be much more effective if you weren't so cute," I poked her forehead. "How tall are you anyway? Five feet?"

"Five foot _one_, for your information!" She huffed, her freckled face turning slightly pink.

"I've got to go," Yuki glanced at her watch. "I'm already late. Aridoku, are the illusions set? I can't really afford going out looking like myself, as you know."

"Again," Amaya added quietly, snickering. Yuki shot her a glare. "That was one time!" she hissed.

"The tattoos I made you guys should hold up permanently." Aridoku said. "At the very least, though, you need to be careful with your chakra use."

I wrinkled my nose. I hated being at the mercy of disguises -- especially ones that used up chakra, no matter how slowly.

"Where did you get the time for this?" Amaya asked.

"I'm nocturnal," She grinned.

"Shit, I'm late too," I muttered, glancing at my watch. "Wait up, Yuki!"

-x-x-x-

The three of us sat in a large tree branch, eating lunch. Yuki and I had dismissed our students, telling them to come back later for more training.

"I don't get why you guys decided not to be ANBU this time," Aridoku said through a mouthful of sushi, "It never gets old."

"I like kids." I shrugged. "Granted, I didn't want to be a sensei of a bunch of twelve year olds. But Curomi had already taken the position I wanted in the Academy."

"I'll probably be ANBU when we move," Yuki added. "Jounins are incredibly inactive."

"_If _we move, you mean…" I trailed off.

"I want to live in the Snow Village," Aridoku said. "I hear it's very pretty in the autumn."

"Amaya's getting restless, too." Yuki added. "You know how she is when we stay somewhere too long."

"I'm getting paranoid," I sighed. "Don't the Mist and the Leaf have good political ties?"

"That's what Amaya told me," Yuki shrugged, chewing thoughtfully. "We really should get a move on. Shikamaru keeps looking at me weirdly…"

"Infatuation?"

"No," she shook her head. "Like, he's onto something, but he doesn't know what."

"With his IQ," I said, "He'll figure it out soon enough."

"That's what worries me." She admitted. "And what he'll do when he finds out."

"I'll ask Amaya to keep tabs on him with her shadows," Aridoku said.

I stared at Aridoku for a moment.

"What?"

"It amazes me how serious you can be at times."

Aridoku grinned.


	3. Chapter 2

**2**

**Yuki**

"Tadaima!" Kyoko yelled. "I brought food!"

"Oh, thank God," Amaya muttered. "We won't have to suffer through Curomi's cooking."

"You're such a pessimist," Aridoku rolled her eyes. "For all we know, Curomi could be the best cook of all! That would explain why Naruto's so fat!"

That earned her a stare from both Amaya and me, to which she finally sighed and said, "Alright, she sucks."

"Where's Kida and Curomi?" Kyoko asked, sitting down at the dining room table. Her lips were pulled into a frown, and her dark eyes concerned. Almost instantly, her skin went from the pale color of her disguise to her normal dark skin tone. She sighed in relief, glad to be in her own skin again -- literally. She hated using the illusions for long periods of time, even if it _was _for our safety.

"Probably with their boyfriends," Aridoku shrugged.

"We can't really talk without them," I sighed. "I think it's time to move…"

"Finally," Amaya said. "We've stayed for too long as it is."

"Yeah," Aridoku agreed. "Yuki says Shikamaru might be onto us."

"What?!" Amaya exclaimed. "Seriously?!"

"I don't know," I shrugged tiredly, "He just keeps looking at me weirdly. And with his IQ, I don't think it's a crush."

"In other words," Kyoko said lightly, "Could you have your shadows keep tabs on him?"

"Why don't you just read his mind?"

"Shikamaru needs to be thinking about what he's learned for me to be able to know if he's onto us," She replied. "Sorting through his memories is unnecessarily rude, and if I ask him what he knows, he's bound to be suspicious."

"We need to leave," Amaya said finally. "My shadows can only observe him, not know what he's thinking."

"We'll talk about it when Kida and Curomi get here," The oldest out of us -- Kyoko -- decided, chewing on her onigiri.

We stayed in silence. Aridoku finished her food first, and for dessert ate chocolate pudding. Kyoko wrinkled her nose.

"That looks like shit." She said.

"You look like shit," Aridoku shot back.

"You racist bastard," She muttered.

We laughed. Aridoku choked on her pudding, giving her a glare. "You set me up for that, you biotch!"

"I couldn't help myself," She grinned, "It was too quiet."

Kida came a while later, having already eaten. By that time Amaya had started to grow worried, sending out her shadows to look for Curomi.

"She's probably with Naruto, Amaya," Kida rolled her eyes, "Don't worry."

"We don't know that." Kyoko said, holding up one finger, "She could have been kidnapped, raped by Naruto, and/or --"

"That's not funny," Amaya glared.

"Sorry," She coughed.

We heard Curomi's light footsteps when she got home, almost a half hour later. "Tadaima!" She yelled.

"Where were you?!" Amaya exclaimed. "We've been waiting for you for forever!"

"Sorry," She shrugged. "I was with Naruto."

"Well, now that we're all here," I trailed off. "Let's talk."

"About what?" Kida asked.

"It's time to go," Kyoko replied nonchalantly. "Aridoku and I were thinking about the Snow Village --"

"What?!" Curomi exclaimed.

"It's dangerous," I explained. "I think Shikamaru might be onto us."

"You're just paranoid!" Kida frowned. "I don't want to leave."

"Guys --" Amaya said.

"No!" Curomi yelled, "Why can't we stay? A few more months?"

"We gave you four extra months, Curomi," Aridoku sighed. "It's seriously time to leave."

"But I think we're safe here!" Kida defended. "Konoha's so far away!"

"You just want to stay because of Kiba," Kyoko snorted quietly, "If we were anywhere else you won't be objecting."

"We've moved four times in the past four years," Curomi sighed, "I'm tired of it."

"It's not safe to stay in the same place for too long," Amaya patted her shoulder sympathetically, "Maybe we can come back in a couple years --"

"Years?!" Kida exclaimed. "No! I'm staying!"

"Me too," Curomi nodded.

"What are they to you?" Kyoko stared at them, frowning, "What makes you want to stay so badly?"

"I really like him," Curomi whispered.

"Enough to fight with us about our safety?" I glared, hurt coloring my tone a little.

"You guys are paranoid!" Kida said, "We're safe here!"

"We're leaving, Kida," Kyoko replied, "It's final."

"Correction," She shook her head, "I'm not leaving Konoha. You can go if you want."

Amaya stood up from her seat, slamming her fists on the table. Her eyes went black as she glared at Curomi and Kida.

"You're breaking up the Daughters of Kami…for two _boys_?" She hissed, struggling to keep her cool. Kyoko stood up as well, patting her shoulder, trying to soothe her with her mind control technique. Worry was evident in her brown eyes, and I'm sure they mirrored mine.

"I'm not breaking up the Daughters of Kami," Kida whispered, "If we stay…"

"We're not staying!" Aridoku exclaimed. "Our decision is final!"

"Then _our _decision is, too!" Curomi yelled angrily, "We're staying!"

"Fine!" Aridoku yelled.

"Fine!" She yelled back.

"FINE!"

"FINE!"

I stayed quiet, turning on my heels and heading upstairs. No one had said anything, but the four of us had been packed, ready to leave, for a while now. Our resignation and relocation scrolls were ready, as well.

We always packed light, no matter where we went. Any extra belongings were either sold or left for the next owners of the house.

I passed by Kyoko on my way downstairs. A deep frown was set on her face, and her dark skin tone seemed to accentuate her foul mood.

"I'll be ready in a minute," She whispered as she past by me. "Amaya and Aridoku will be down soon, as well."

"I'll meet you at the gates," I said, "I have to give in our relocation scrolls."

"Be sure to cross off Kida's and Curomi's names, then." She murmured.

"Alright."

Curomi was clutching her jacket when I left through the front door. She was going to Naruto's, I mused, then chuckled bitterly. What was so special about him and Kiba, anyway? Did they matter to them so much that they were willing to break up the Daughters of Kami, the group that had defined us since we were little?

Apparently so.

"Shizune," I said as I entered the Hokage Tower.

"Hi, Yuki-san," She smiled. "How can I help you?"

"Here are my relocation and resignation scrolls," I said. "We're leaving."

"So soon?!" She exclaimed. "You've been here a little more than a year!"

"That's too long for us," I shrugged. "Kida and Curomi, however, are staying."

"Oh." She frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I lied. "They just didn't want to leave."

"Well…okay, then," She said. "When are you leaving?"

"Right now, actually," I muttered, turning on my heels.

"Be sure to visit!"

"I will," I said, then muttering under my breath, "In a few years…or maybe never…"


	4. Chapter 3

3

**Curomi**

They left…How could they leave?

We were safe! Konoha is a trillion miles away from the Mist, and the strongest nation, even! How were we not safe?!

"Curomi," Kida murmured, "You're crying…"

My eyebrow rose. I reached a hand up to touch my face, and realized that I was, indeed, crying. I laid my head on her shoulder.

"Kida…"

"Yeah?"

"They're gone…" I whispered hoarsely.

"I think we did the right thing…" Kida patted my shoulder. "We didn't want to leave…Kiba and Naruto are too important…"

The mention of the blonde's name made me smile. He was important to me. The way his blue eyes twinkled when we stole Kyoko's food, or the way he grinned when Amaya sat on a whoopee cushion…

"I'm going to see Naruto." I stood up, wiping my face. "Are you okay by yourself?"

"Yeah," She shrugged. "I'll talk to Kiba later…he left on a mission."

I nodded, putting on my jacket and sandals as I headed for the door, but not before activating the seal on my shoulder blade. I felt the same bitter, fake feeling I always felt when using the seal, only this time it intensified.

The air was cool against my skin, making me shiver. It was starting to get dark, too, and I started to worry. Aridoku, Yuki, Kyoko, and Amaya couldn't leave at night. That would be too dangerous.

At the word "dangerous" I felt my lips thin into a deep grimace. "Being here is dangerous" my ass.

Naruto's apartment wasn't far from the Hokage Tower. In fact, going towards the Hokage Tower was a shortcut, but I took the long way instead. I didn't want to see them again.

I knocked on Naruto's front door, waiting. My sensitive nose could tell that he was heating up ramen, and knowing him, he was probably jumping around yelling for the microwave to hurry up.

"Curomi-chan?" Naruto asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" I stammered. "I'm not feeling well…"

"Yeah, you don't look so good," He observed. "Come on in; I'm making instant ramen!"

I nodded, walking past him towards the sofa.

"What's wrong, Curo-chan?"

"Amaya, Aridoku, Yuki, and Kyoko," I said, "They're leaving…"

"WHAT?!"

"They're handing in their relocation scrolls to the Hokage as we speak," I chuckled bitterly. "They do this every year…"

"What about you and Kida?"

"We didn't want to leave," I shrugged, feeling his arms around my shoulders. I leaned my head on his shoulder and sighed.

"I'm glad you decided to stay…" Naruto said hesitantly.

I smiled, curling into his embrace. "You're so warm," I giggled. "You're only missing the fur and you'll be just like a kitty."

"I'm a fox."

"Sure, sure," I grinned. "But you're still a kitty to me."


End file.
